Glenn Morton wrote:>>There is some pretty good evidence that Australopithecus robustus made stone >tools and used fire. But this is not a being considered to be on the direct >line to humans.

We had a discussion some time ago about Adam's place in the scheme of things.
If you remember, my position was that Adam appears in the flow of mankind,
about 7,000 years ago, not at the apex. I contend that Adam was brought
into the world to bring us into accountability, not to people the planet.

Your positioning of Adam was at 5.5 mya which would place him at the
head of all the non-ape precursors to mankind including the
Australopithicines.
The distinction you make here of A robustus not being on "the direct line
to humans," puts your Adam in the dubious position of fathering non-humans
(or sub-humans). Or am I missing something?